BSRN data can be made available to external users for bona fide research purposes at no cost. However, use of a particular station's data and the World Radiation Monitoring Center (WRMC) must always be explicitly acknowledged. Further interaction with the originating site scientists is encouraged because of the potential benefit to the data user. BSRN data sets provided by the WRMC must not be passed to a third party without the agreement of the WRMC. The above restriction shall not apply to any BSRN data which are made public through publication, presumably with some added value, and/or are incorporated into additional project(s) for wide release. In such events all BSRN data should be clearly identified as such in that release, with information as to how to obtain the original data directly from the BSRN archive. A copy of the publication is to be provided directly to the originator or preferably via the WRMC who will forward it to the originator. BSRN data must not be used for commercial applications.

All data are subject to change without notice. It is therefore recommended that up-to-date BSRN data are downloaded every few months or at the start of a new project.

BSRN station scientists have unlimited reading privileges on the database.

1. INTRODUCTION

The Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) is an international effort to acquire the best possible surface radiation budget information at up to 30 climatologically and globally diverse locations. It was initiated in 1990 by the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) in support of global climate research interests and has an established but evolving network of stations, developed and operated by leading scientists from the respective countries where the stations are located. The BSRN programme also includes the World Radiation Monitoring Centre (WRMC) of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Bremerhaven, Germany, which serves as the central archive for the data collected by the network.

At the BSRN Science and Review Workshop held in Boulder, Colorado, USA from 12 to 18 August 1996, the issue of a BSRN data release and dissemination policy, or set of guidelines, was raised. No formal policy had been established up to that time. A number of considerations for such a policy were discussed briefly by the participants; for example:

• compliance with (World Meteorological Organization) WMO guidelines for free exchange of data [WMO is a sponsor of WCRP, along with the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO],
• the legitimate rights of the originating countries with regard to possible commercial use of BSRN data in accordance with their national policies,
• the legitimate rights of the stations Principal Investigators/Site Scientists in receiving credit, and in some instances co-authorship of scientific papers making use of their stations data, in recognition of their ongoing scientific effort in the data generation process,
• the timing for release of BSRN data, as well as the turn-around time between the originator and the WRMC as the BSRN archive,
• the issue of acknowledgement/citation with regard to the originating country, organization and individuals involved in the BSRN data production process, as well as the data archive in Bremerhaven. 

In view of the complexity of these issues, sometimes conflicting in nature, a sub-group on the topic of BSRN data release and dissemination was nominated by the Boulder workshop, with A. Manes (Convener), K. Dehne, E. Dutton, B. Forgan, B. McArthur, R. Newson, A. Ohmura and C. Whitlock as members. It conducted its work electronically over a period of several months and produced draft data release guidelines which were accepted at the Fifth BSRN Workshop held in Budapest, Hungary from 18 to 22 May 1998. Those guidelines are presented below.

2. BSRN DATA RELEASE AND DISSEMINATION GUIDELINES

2.1 Release of Data in Compliance with WMO Resolution 40 (Cg-XII)

The BSRN was initiated by the WCRP of WMO, ICSU and IOC as an international project. It is thus appropriate that any policy for release and dissemination of BSRN data should comply with the WMO policy, practice and guidelines for the exchange of meteorological and related data and products, as embodied in Resolution 40 of the Twelfth WMO Congress 1995; that is, free and unrestricted exchange of essential data and products.

The members of the sub-group were fully aware that implementation of the above principles might conflict with data release policies, for other than bona fide research purposes, adopted by some WMO Members who are operating BSRN stations. The heavy financial burden borne by the originator in establishing, maintaining and operating a BSRN site would seem to justify at least some recovery of the cost from commercial users of BSRN data, for example. Nevertheless, the members reached the consensus that the WMO guidelines for free exchange of meteorological data are paramount and should in principle be fully implemented in the BSRN.

The no-restriction principle should also apply in the case of BSRN data requested by a scientist or research group employed by a private enterprise. However, it is not intended that the principle of free exchange of data should prevent the encouragement of those making extensive use of BSRN data, including the private sector, from providing financial support for the BSRN project, if appropriate, as compensation for the benefits obtained. The only restriction which should be imposed on all applicants for BSRN data concerns the re-export or transfer of the original data (as received from the BSRN archive) to a third party. Such restriction is in the best interests of both the BSRN and the potential users. Unrestricted copying of the original data by multiple, independent users may lead to errors in the data and loss of identity of its BSRN origin, not to mention the loss of direct and personal contacts between the user and BSRN participants. The above restriction should not apply to any BSRN data which are made public through journal publication (presumably with some added value) and/or incorporation into additional project(s), resulting in wide release. In such cases, all BSRN data should be clearly identified as such, with information as to how to obtain the original data directly from the BSRN archive. Recipients should be obliged to provide a copy of the publication to the originator, directly or via WRMC.

2.2 Timing for Release of BSRN Data from the WRMC Archive

The timing issue clearly involves some conflicting aspects. The user will obviously be interested in obtaining data as soon as possible after the time of measurement, whereas the BSRN scientific staff, at both the site and the central archive, will wish to ensure the highest attainable quality of the data. The latter will generally be time consuming, particularly in view of the shortage of manpower in many cases.

Ideally, data should be ready for general release after a specific period following its acquisition, during which the exchange process between the originator and the data archive, including quality control and assurance, will have been completed. One year is suggested as an appropriate length for this data turn-around period. It is nevertheless recognized that there may be instances when this turn-around time should be considerably shorter, as for example in the case of requests from the satellite community. Such cases should be accommodated to the extent possible, on the condition that the data quality is not compromised. It may be appropriate in these cases be to establish direct contact between the requestor(s) and the Principal Investigator/Site Scientist, with the participation of the WRMC in the details of the process.

2.3 Acknowledgement and Citation

Sub-group members were not able to reach full consensus on the issue of acknowledgement and citation for BSRN data. While it is obvious that the data should never be used without reference to the BSRN, views diverged with regard to the format of the acknowledgement. Some members wanted to provide users with a specific statement to be included as acknowledgement, in which a number of contributors might be identified individually. Others preferred an acknowledgement only of the organizational origin of the data (e.g. BSRN, WCRP, WRMC and/or the country or organization of the originating station) without specifying individuals.

The recommended compromise for this issue is to require in general the organizational format, with the acknowledgement of individuals left to the preference of the data originator and the archive centre. Whenever the archive centre receives a request for release of data from a particular originator, that originator and the archive centre should agree on a detailed recommendation for citation and acknowledgement and provide it to the requesting party. This recommendation should be included on the Application Form for the release of BSRN data.

2.4 Co-Authorship for BSRN Principal Investigators/Site Scientists

The BSRN project was developed by an international panel of scientists including experts in radiation balance and high-precision techniques for measurement of solar radiation fluxes and long-wave radiation at the earth's surface. BSRN stations are equipped with sophisticated, state-of-the-art instrumentation and should comply with strict requirements of station siting and maintenance, exposure of instruments, calibration, quality assurance procedures and the like, in order to achieve the highest attainable standards of measurement, accuracy, representativeness, stability and repeatability. To ensure that this goal is reached, Principal Investigator/Site Scientist(s) who are leading experts of the respective countries/organizations accept responsibility for each BSRN station. The use of BSRN data therefore requires a different approach from one which assumes that people who collect and supply what could be considered as routine data, acquired with public funds, do not deserve co-authorship if the data supplier provides no other scientific input.

One advantage of co-authorship is that the provider of the data will be responsible for, and most capable of, responding to questions raised about its quality and/or suitability for the specific study in question. Nevertheless, while there is no doubt that co-authorship of BSRN stations Principal Investigators/Site Scientists on papers making extensive use of BSRN data is justifiable and highly recommended, it is not a pre-condition for release of BSRN data. Users of BSRN data are encouraged to establish direct contact with originating BSRN scientists for the purpose of complete interpretation and analysis of data for publication purposes. However, it is the sole prerogative of the lead author to make that decision.

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